Top 10 Hammerless Renovations

This is the one entry on our list that requires some special tools and a little fortitude. You'll need to use a ladder to get up close and personal with your existing gutters, but we like this project because it makes maintaining your gutters easier in the future. It's a task that will save you time, effort and worry later. If you've never had the experience of cleaning a roof gutter before, excavating your way through a season's worth of dead leaves, desiccated bugs, dirt and bird droppings is no fun.

Gutter covers are protective caps that snap or clip onto your existing gutter system and keep most of the debris out. They're available in aluminum and vinyl. You can find a cover style to fit most gutters, but some can be more difficult to install than others. Typically, vinyl installations are the easiest. It'll take a day to complete the project, and this one's by far the toughest on our list. When you're done, though, you won't have to worry about standing water ruining your roof, and getting your house winter-ready next year will be less of a hassle.